Deceptive Cadence
by Merlee Wishine
Summary: Ikuto has been gone for a long, long time. Amu begins to wonder if he'll ever return home for her, when suddenly she discovers that he's enrolled in an art school nearby without her knowledge. She enrolls in the school in disguise in order to persuade Ikuto to return home and get her life back to the way it was before he left, but not without some trouble along the way.
1. Prologue: Prelude

**Author's Note**

I thought it might be of merit to mention that this is a rewritten version of my old story _Rosamaria_ , in case you're familiar with that. The two are only similar in concept, however, and have evolved to be two entirely separate and unique stories.

Also, it may be important to not that this fanfiction follows the manga and not the anime. It won't be a total puzzle to you if you haven't read the manga, but a few events from the manga that didn't occur in the anime may be referenced, so be aware if that if you haven't read the manga.

Most importantly, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 _ **"**_ _ **This above all: to thine own self be true,  
And it must follow, as the night the day,  
Thou canst not then be false to any man." -Shakespeare's Hamlet  
**_

* * *

 _ **Prelude**_

 _It is snowing, and your coat is thin. The closed stores have denied you refuge from the cold, windy night, and winter is beginning to nip at your fingertips. You glance at your phone for guidance only to find that it is dead. With a heavy heart and a deep sigh, you continue to trudge along the unfamiliar city streets._

 _Eventually, you begin to wander aimlessly, unable to find your way home- unable to find any sign of life. Your mind begins to drift- where are you, who are you? What are you doing? What do you hope to achieve? Are you who you are supposed to be?_

 _You wonder this often, though you never find an answer. Rather than thinking more upon it, you cast the notion aside. Rather than solve it, you look away._ _Just as you've always done._

 _Just as everyone has always done._

 _You round an empty corner when a far off light catches your eye. It's the only sign of life you can see, and it is beautiful. Radiant. Perfect. Unsure of whether it is curiosity or loneliness compelling you, you are stumbling over your numb toes to reach that light. Although it is distant, it is hopeful._

 _You find yourself standing outside a park in which you have never been. The trees are filled with strings of golden light, illuminating the crystallized ground. It is as luminous and mysteries as a galaxy. You wander forward into the park marveling at the sight, as a child marvels her first view into the vast night sky._

 _And as you enter- the very moment you enter, neither a second before nor a second behind- you are greeted by music; a symphony- the most beautiful symphony to have ever known the air. You follow the sound, praying for its source._

 _You reach the source of the sound; the stage- a gazebo from another world. You hardly notice the crowd of spectators surrounding it. The stage is consumed by the regal, golden light- as ethereal and heavenly as God Himself. It is a universe of its own, separate from the world you know._

 _In the centre of the gazebo stands a man playing an iridescent violin. Beside him rests an ivory piano, and behind it sits a woman. They are beautiful and united, both dressed in simple white and basked in music and light._

 _It is unworldly. Unworldly as you_ _realise_ _that you are alone. Not a physical loneliness- no, this loneliness is not so simple._

 _This is_ _ **your**_ _loneliness._

 _The realisation that we all live and die alone._

 _First, there is fear- A comprehension that all things are bigger than yourself._ _Then, comfort- knowledge of ineffable freedom; the right to find your place._

 _Yes, you are alone and insignificant- but you are free._

 _Free._

 _Free to make mistakes in your solitude, for the only cross you must bear is your own._

 _But then- For the moment, and for only this single, isolated moment, everyone is connected. For this moment, and for only this single, solitary moment, the symphony is all that has ever moment. For the moment, it is the only symphony that has ever existed. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was ever so pure or clear as the music you heard that night._

 _It is pure summer against a stark winter._

 _It is perfect._

 _It is home._

 _The man and the woman stand and link hands as they finish their song. Although they bow and the applause take wind, the lovers in the light remain separate from all else existing alongside one another but fiction against all else. They lean in for a kiss, but never quite touch. The lights dim, and the couple is lost. The ephemeral concert has ended._

 _You leave the park, your heart much lighter than before. As you empty unto the streets, you_ _realise_ _that it is dawn. The shops are opening once more to greet the new day. As you pass the electronics store, you see a weather report that calls for much needed warmth today. You begin to march towards tomorrow, homeward bound, with a light, self-assured bounce in your step that you had never had before._

 _In the years that follow, you often look back on the too-short symphony, unsure if you had been dreaming all along._


	2. Chapter One: Overture

_**Chapter 1: Overture**_

* * *

It was much colder and windier than I expected it to be when I got off the train in Sapporo, Hokkaido on a late Monday afternoon. My brown hair blew in the chilly November air. I still wasn't used to my new hair colour, but there was no way to get around dying it.

I had been told by the dean to expect a car and driver at the station, -as the University was far outside the limits of the city-, but what I _wasn't_ told to expect was a brand new Rolls-Royce Phantom driven by a man in a tail coat. I didn't even believe the car was for me at first, not until the archaic man looked directly at me.

"I assume you are Rosamaria DeLuca-sama, yes?" he bowed at the waist as he spoke.

"U-um, y-yes?" I stuttered out, neither used to the name nor sure how to react to the formality.

The man raised his gloved hand and placed my own within it. As he straightened, he opened the door and helped me into the car. The man didn't speak as he drove outside city limits.

"S-so, um… what's with the fancy getup?" I inquired to break the awkward silence.

The driver looked at me in the review mirror, pleasant surprise painted clearly on his face. Was it unusual for someone to speak to their driver? "It is standard policy at Ifukube University of the Fine Arts to provide the best experience possible to our students," he replied, " We believe that creativity is best pursued in a comfortable environment that is beautiful and free from everyday stresses."

I looked around the sleek vehicle with a grain of salt. "Isn't a brand new luxury car a bit… much?"

"I suppose it is," the driver snickered, "but a majority of the students who attend the University are wealthy kids that their parents sent here to become more ' _worldly_ ' and ' _cultured_ '. Most of the most here are spoiled, entitled, and would probably sue us if we _didn't_ offer them the finest… I guess I really shouldn't be saying that in front of a student, but I can see that you're not like that."

I shook my head. "Not really. I'm not wealthy or anything, I came here for..." I paused before I said something like 'searching for my lost love' or something of the sort, "…something else."

He nodded, as if signifying understanding. "It's nice that you're pursuing your dream. More people ought to when they have a chance. You're going to the school to study music, right?"

"Yep! I play piano and I sing a little."

He smiled. "And you came here all the way from Italy?"

I felt my body tense up. "Y-y-yeah! I-I'm _totally_ Italian! W-w-well, h-half Italian, I guess, really. M-my mom is J-Japanese, and now that she and my f-father are separated, w-we moved back to Japan. B-b-but I grew up in Italy! I did! Ha!'

"I'm a little jealous. I've always wanted to go there. What's it like?"

Of course, I hadn't thought of how to describe the place. How did you begin to describe a place you'd only seen on brief Wikipedia searches? I searched the recesses of my brain for everything I knew about Italy, which admittedly wasn't much for a person pretending to be from there.

"Um… there's… lots of nice leather boots there."

"Uh huh."

"A-and the Roman Colosseum!"

"Right."

"And pasta! And and and… tomato sauce! And, and and the Versace brand is based there. And, and, and the _best_ part, the very best part-" I froze. What _was_ the best part of Italy? I mentally beat myself over the head for not thinking this all the way through.

"What's the best part?"

I dug in vain for what could be the best part of Italy, but I sighed despondently as I realized I didn't look into Italy nearly as much as I should have.

"Is something wrong?"

I paused before continuing. "If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Sure," he said, "I don't have anyone _to_ tell secrets with, really."

I bit my lip. "I'm not Italian at all. I've never even been there. It's all fake."

" _Should you really be telling him that?!_ " A tiny voice sounded from my bag. I turned my head and glared at the guilty blue egg that sat inside my bag. My chara silenced. I turned my attention back to the driver, who clearly hadn't noticed.

He furrowed his brow. "Why…?"

"Y-you see, there's this guy-"

"Of course. There's always a guy."

" _Hush!_ There's this guy, see? I used to know him a couple of years ago. He and I grew really close, but there's kind of an age gap between us, and he had to go overseas for a while. It's been a lot different since he left- _I've_ been different since he left- and I don't like it. I need him. I took up piano, which I love, but I need him to play his violin alongside me so I can feel whole…see? Besides, he told me that he'd come back for me when I was older. I just turned seventeen, and he's not back for me yet. But I heard from his sister that he's going to school here."

"So…why are you pretending to be Italian..?"

"Be patient, will you?! See, I'm in _disguise_! I'm going to go into this University as Rosamaria DeLuca- I even dyed my hair from pink to brown so he won't recognize me! I'm going to talk him into coming back home and seeing me again, and then we can all be happy again and everything can go back to the way it was before he left. Got it now?"

"Maybe? I don't know. Why didn't you just enroll in the school as yourself? Save the trouble?"

"Well, it's not like I want him to _stay_ here. If he knows _I'm_ here, he'll just want to stay. But I want him home."

"Don't you think that's a little-" he cut himself off, "It's a creative idea, I'll give you that. So long as you're doing what you think is best, I can't really judge. I hope you do what you set out to do."

I nodded. "I will," I paused, unsure of what to say, then continued, "Talking about me is boring. How about you?"

We talked through the rest of the drive to the University. Apparently his name was Yoshiro Himura, and he was recently engaged. Although he wasn't too fond of being a driver for the school, he was glad to have a steady income to start his life. He originally dreamed of being a racecar driver, but his parents insisted he choose something more practical. I told him he should pursue his dream, but he only shrugged. I let the subject go, and we talked about a variety of different topics for the rest of the ride.

"It was nice talking to you today," he commented as I got out of the car when we arrived at the parking station for the University, which was a short distance from the University itself, "It's not every day you can just chat with someone."

I agreed with him and told him.

"Do you think we'll ever talk again?" He asked.

I smiled at him. "Only if you become a race car driver!"

"I'll think about it, but only if _you_ learn more about the country you're supposed to be from," he snickered, smiling genuinely. I waved goodbye at him and I headed up the hill towards the University. As I headed up to the massive hill towards the University, he called after me.

" _Hey, wait! What's your name?! Your real one!"_

"It's Hinamori!" I called back to him, "Amu Hinamori!"

* * *

Ifukube University was every bit as ornate as you would expect from a school that sent a high class vehicle to pick up one of its students. The landscaping on the oversized campus must of cost a fortune on its own.

There were four main buildings, each impeccably designed in a western Tudor revival style- one was for the class rooms, another was for clubs and other activities like performances and art galleries, and another was the dining hall. The fourth was the largest and most ornate of them all- the dorms. Its size and grandeur was clearly designed to accommodate several thousands of wealthy students. I approached it. As I walked through the double doors sized for a giraffe, I suddenly felt like I didn't belong.

The foyer that I stepped into was just as grand as the exterior. I could get lost in this room alone.

"Is there anyone around?" Ran asked, peeking out from inside my bag.

"No, we're alone," I assured her, "You guys can come out."

My four charas all cheered and flew into the open air, dancing and marveling about how we made it to the University at last and how beautiful the building was. I studied a map on the wall to determine where I might find the dorm. The route seemed simple enough to follow, so I motioned Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia to follow me through the arched hall.

And then I realized that I had no idea where I was going.

"Amu, are we lost?" Su asked me.

I looked around. There were no signs where we were, no more maps or arrows pointing us in the right direction. Just doors labeled with different numbers. "O-of course we're not lost!" I assured my charas, "We're just… a little…. Um…"

Miki interrupted, "Lost?"

" _No!_ We're just… Exploring uncharted territory! Yeah!"

Dia sighed. "Yeah, we're definitely lost."

"Pssh, no! I know where the room is! It's, uh…." I chose a random hallway, "It's this way!"

"We're going to be stuck here forever," Ran sighed.

My charas and I debated for a while longer as we turned into different hallways with little results. Then I heard something.

"Shh, guys!" I whispered, "I think I heard footsteps."

"Someone's hear to save us!"

The footsteps approached, and a voice hollered, "Hello? I thought I heard someone- are you there?"

I recognized that voice.

" _Guys, get in my bag right now!_ "

Ran furrowed her brow. "Why? It's not like whoever it is will see us-"

" _It's Ikuto!_ "

"WHA?!" they cried in unison.

" _It's motherlovinggodfuckingshitwagonmeatcleavingcatpawedpervertIkuto! Now get in the damn bag!_ "

All four of the chibi girls flew into my back just as I heard Ikuto round the corner behind me. "Hey, are you okay?" he said to me, nearing me, "I heard shouting."

My heart beat grew faster as he approached. I wasn't prepared for this. I really wasn't.

"U-uh, yeah, I-I'm fine, I-I just-" I turned around slowly, both afraid and eager to see him. When I looked at him, though, my fear subsided. He was older now, too, and it showed, but he was still Ikuto. The same striking blue eyes, the same curve to his lip, the same long eyelashes. For a moment, I forgot everything. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him tightly- I thought I was going to cry. I buried my face into him, blocking out everything else but the love I felt for him. " _Ikuto…_ " I whispered softly beneath my breath, loud enough for my ears alone.

"Um…. I appreciate the hug…but….?"

I jumped back, remembering where I was and who I was supposed to be. I couldn't just go up and _hug Ikuto_ when he's not even supposed to know me. What was I thinking? "Uh-uh-uh… I um… Uh… I just… I'm-"

He cocked his head at me. "Your face," he whispered, "Are you… Do I… Do I know you?"

I could feel my heart swing back and forth between different sides of my ribs like a pendulum. "I-I um… No. N-no, you c-couldn't know me… I-I just came here. I'm new. I got lost-"

"Sure, _now_ she admits she's lost," I heard Miki say from my bag. I gave the bag a quick nudge to shut her up. Ikuto's gaze shifted towards the bag just a little bit as if he heard her, but he didn't say anything.

"- and I was just so excited for help that I just kind of hugged you. I'm sorry about that." It was a terrible, half-assed excuse, I know, but it's all I had to go with.

Ikuto seemed to accept it, though. At the very least, he didn't question it. He only nodded. "Do you know where you're headed?"

"Um… Room 207," I told him the number of my dorm room.

"You must really have a talent for getting lost. Room 207 is on the completely opposite side of the school."

 _Of course it is_ , I thought to myself. "W-well, uh, thanks for the help!" I told him as I marched past him and into another corridor "I'll just be going now!"

He followed me. "Won't you get lost again?"

"N-no!" I said, not wanting him to follow me for fear of getting caught, "I-I'll be fine! I know where I'm going now- it's this way!"

"No, it's this way," he turned into a hallway in the opposite direction of where I was headed, "Just follow me, okay?"

It was either be lost in the vast halls of this strange new place or follow the person I'd been waiting to see for years through them.

He kept his gaze straight ahead mostly as I followed him down the hall, but I saw him shift his gaze back to me a few times and open his jaw as if to say something.

"So, you're new?" he asked finally.

"Y-yeah…" I stuttered, keeping my head down so he couldn't get a good look at my face.

He only nodded. "And your name is…?"

"Am-" I stopped myself, "Rosamaria. Rosamaria DeLuca."

"You're Italian?"

I kept looking at the floor. "H-half Italian, obviously. My mom is Japanese. She and I just moved back here to Japan."

If I had expected Ikuto to ask me anything about Italy, I would have been disappointed. As he had so many times in our brief meeting, he only nodded and left it at that. "What are you studying here?"

"Music," I answered, "I play piano and I sing."

He seemed at least a little intrigued by that. "I'm here for music, too. Violin, specifically. What class will you be in?"

"3-C."

"Same as me. We'll be seeing each other often, then," He slowed and then came to a stop in front of a door labeled 207. Just below that rested two name plates, one with my false name and another with my roomate's name, Yuu Moto. Ikuto looked at it and sighed. "I'm so sorry."

I blinked. "Sorry? For what?"

He gestured to the name plate. "Your roommate. She's very- well, I guess you'll find out."

"I-I guess I will," I said.

We stood there for a minute or so, saying nothing. Ikuto was staring intently at me, but I tried to keep my face hidden from him as best I could. I didn't dare look him in the eye. Anxiety made my chest pound.

"Are you sure I don't know you from somewhere? You remind me of someone I knew once. Someone I knew really well."

I gulped. "I-I really should be unpacking."

"Oh! Right. Right- I'll see you in class tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess you will."

He turned and began to walk away. After he was out of sight, I barreled into my new room. The oh-so-terrible roommate Ikuto had warned me about wasn't there. I let my luggage sit on the floor as I ran into the room and slammed into my bed.

" _WHATTHEHELLWASTHATOHMYGODHOLYSHIT!_ " I yelled into the mattress as I kicked slightly. "I wasn't prepared for that at _all!_ "

"Well, you _did_ come here to see him!" Su reminded me.

"It's not like I expected him to be _the first person I saw!_ I thought I was just going to walk in here, play a few bars of _O Danny Boy_ in a classroom, go up to Ikuto and say 'Hey! The love of your life wants to see you again!', leave, and this _whole thing_ would be over with. But no! Nope! Not how it happened!" I screamed, " _ANDHERECOGNISEDME!_ "

"Well, he is kind of supposed to be in love with you…" Miki commented.

"With any luck, he'll forget he recognized me and I can go back to my original plan." I curled over onto my side on the bed, clutching a pillow as if I expected it to hug me back. "…This isn't how I imagined it going at all…"

"Maybe you should just go home?" Dia suggested.

I shook my head. "No, I decided I was going to do this, and now I've got to do this. I'm already in this head first. From now on, it's all or nothing," I sighed. My charas and I were all silent until I muttered, "That's not how I wanted my first meeting with Ikuto after all these years to go…"

But, regardless of ghastly first encounter with Ikuto, I was glad to see him and to know that he wasn't just a memory of a past beyond distant. I drifted into sleep, dreaming of the day where I would play piano beside his violin.


	3. Chapter Two: Etude

_**Chapter 2: Etude**_

* * *

I wish I could say that I woke up feeling refreshed, but I really didn't. My previous encounter with Ikuto still clung to my memory and stung, like a wasp trapped in a web. I didn't really want to roll out of my bed and go to class, but I knew that I had to. I rubbed by eyes and sucked it up. I looked over to the other bed and still saw no signs of the girl Ikuto warned me about.

I got dressed and got to class. I insisted that Ran, Miki, Su and Dia stay behind. Yoru may have disappeared, but Ikuto would still be able to see and hear them. It was best to keep them out of sight until I could disguise them.

I arrived a little later than I expected, so of course the teacher noticed me. My hopes of skipping the obligatory transfer student introduction were ruined. Just like everything else I had attempted to do thus far.

I scanned the room for Ikuto as I took the only empty seat in the class. He and I were, in fact, in the same class. He didn't pay me much mind, though, as he was busy in a conversation with two other guys that appeared to be close friends of his.

As I sat down, the girl who sat in front of me turned around. She had a black bob-cut and deep brown eyes. She smiled widely at me.

"My name is Chiyoko Tsukino," she chimed, "but you can just call me Chiyoko! I'm here if you need help with anything. Let's be friends this year, okay?"

I couldn't help but smile back. Something about her demeanor reminded me of my friends back home, and I was glad to have a girl in the class that I could be friends with. "Sure," I said.

She smiled and turned back around as we took notes. She and I made a few jokes here and there in the middle of class, and during lunch we got to talking. I learnt that she was one of the many students from well-to-do families in the school, but she assured me that she was here primarily for her interest in the arts. She played the harp and dabbled in photography.

She asked me which music club I was going to be a part of- there was a club for just about every genre of music one could imagine. When I told her I didn't know, she informed me that the orchestra she was a part of was in search of a new pianist. They would be having a meeting later that day. I decided to go with her, mostly because I would have a friend there and wouldn't be alone.

The meeting was after class in the Murasaki building, where all the club rooms were located. The members of the orchestra met up in a large conference room with several tables that conjoined with the performance hall. There were more students than I had anticipated at the meeting. There were at least a hundred people in the orchestra, give or take. Chiyoko and I sat at a mostly empty table. I looked around the crowd to familiarize myself with the members, only to find that Ikuto was among them.

 _I don't know why I'm so surprised,_ I thought to myself, _It figures I'd find him here._

We made eye contact from across the room. I felt my heart lurch just a little. He gave me a small wave, and I think I saw him smile a little. I looked away and turned my back. If he couldn't see me, I couldn't see him. Sound logic.

"Wait, do you know him?" Chiyoko asked from behind me, "Tsukiyomi, I mean."

"Psssh, nooo," I lied. That was the right answer, right? It'd be weird if I knew him the day I transferred in.

"He just waved at you, though."

"H-he must have been waving at someone else. I-I've never seen him before in my life!"

"You haven't? He's in our class."

"D-don't know him! Nope! Not me!"

"Are you sure you don't?" she remained skeptical, looking at something behind me. "He's coming over here. Looking directly at you. Like, _right at you._ "

"H-He's coming over here for a totally different reason! Not for me, nope! Why would he-"

"Hey," I heard Ikuto say from behind me, "It's Rosamaria, isn't it? Rosamaria DeLuca?"

I took in a deep breath, determined to pull myself together for a better masquerade than yesterday, "Y-yeah," I said, "I th-think I met you yesterday…didn't I? In the hall. You're Ikuto Tsukiyomi."

He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize I'd told you my name."

I panicked. He _hadn't_ told me his name! My brain stopped for a moment. "I-it's right there," I pointed to his violin case, "O-on your violin case. The tag."

"Oh, right," he said, looking at it, "I forgot that was even there." I relaxed. Thank God that students were required to keep name tags on their instrument cases. "So, you've decided to join the orchestra?"

"No, _clearly_ I'm joining an alternative rock band."

I heard him chuckle. "I guess we really will be seeing each other often. By the way, I was thinking-"

" _Dude, Ikuto! Get over here!_ " a friend of his called, " _Kenjiro is about to get to 300 on Flappy Bird!_ "

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "God, they're complete idiots," he muttered, but he said it while smiling. "I gotta go see this. I'll talk to you later, okay, Rosamaria?"

I nodded. "Have fun with your ancient app!"

When he was gone, Chiyoko turned to me. "So, you _do_ know him."

"I met him yesterday. I forgot."

She nodded, but still appeared as though she didn't completely buy it. "It's just that Tsukiyomi usually keeps to himself," she explained to me, "he doesn't really talk much to people he isn't already familiar with. Not in a casual way, at any rate." I shrugged. I didn't push the conversation, and neither did she.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ikuto and his friends cheering over their ridiculous Flappy Bird achievement. _He's really enjoying himself with his friends,_ I thought to myself. I hadn't recalled seeing him so free before. _He seems to be doing really well here. Should I really try to pull him away from a place that's doing him so much good?_

The meeting itself began before I was able to consider it further. I became the official pianist of the orchestra. We would be playing a concert in early spring to raise funds for the music department (Which I assumed would go towards buying each student their own personal yacht, since Ifukube University was filthy rich as it was and probably struggled less on getting money than it did deciding what to waste said money on). People tossed out several ideas as to what ought to go into the concert- songs, themes, composers, and whatnot, all of which were written on the dry erase board up front for later consideration.

The meeting was over past regular dinner time, so none of us had eaten yet. Some students went back to their dorms for lunch, several more decided to go off campus and eat at restaurants. Some of us just went to the dining hall for dinner, though, which is what Chiyoko and I decided on. Around two dozen other students decided to go with the same option.

"You're going to _love_ the food here," Chiyoko made sure to inform me, "It's amazing. The University hires the understudies of all kinds of famous chefs from everywhere in the world to make it. I'm sure you'll find all the foods you know from Italy!"

 _And yet our concert is going to be a fund raiser?_ I thought to myself, reaffirming my own previous yacht theory.

"Ugh, there's the orchestra," I heard a girl from behind me remark.

"What, do you hate the orchestra or something?" someone else said to her.

"Well, _no_ , it's just that, like, there's so many _gross_ people in there, you know? Like, they just let anyone in- even disgusting, fat, ugly people with no money or pedigree. Like that one drummer- what's her name? Ugh, whatever, I don't care what that _thing's_ name is- _it_ doesn't belong at this school!"

I turned to see the two snobs glaring and laughing at a pudgy, shy girl with a cute face. I recognized her as Kaori Kurosawa from the meeting earlier. She looked back at the girls teasing her and glared, but they only laughed and teased harder. Her friends at the table next to her tried to comfort her, but she only kept her eyes on the plate before her. She didn't touch it, just stared at it with a look of anguish and defeat.

"Hey!" I said to the two girls, who in turn looked up at me, still giggling at whatever jokes they were making. I straightened my back and approached them. "Shut your mouths! What did Kurosawa-san do to either of you, huh?! What the hell makes you guys think you treat someone like that?"

The louder, taller of the two who was obviously the ring leader flipped her hair and put her hand on her hip. "Mind your own business, miss goody-goody! I can say whatever I want about whoever I want! Not _everyone_ belongs here- some people are just naturally better than others, and _Kurosawa_ ," she said her name in a very mocking, condescending tone, "Doesn't belong here!"

"You're wrong. Anyone can belong here if they're talented!"

"Oh, yeah? Says who?"

"Says me!"

"And who the _fuck_ are you?"

I was about to answer, but Chiyoko cut in. "She's Rosamaria DeLuca!"

"So? I've never heard of her."

"She's Italian! From a really, really rich family! Her dad is best friends with Bill Gates and he invented the toaster strudel! She got a Lamborghini _and_ a Bugatti for her birthday! And she's descended from _William Shakespeare!_ And Michelangelo! And the _POPE!_ "

I had no idea where Chiyoko had come up with any of this, since I never said any of that. But I didn't correct her, because something that she said caught the snob's attention and made her look at me in awe.

"And she's written an entire opera-"

I nudged Chiyoko and she stopped talking. "I'm not going to stand around while you harass people," I told the snob, "It's not right."

The snob glared at me. "God, you're so stupid," she said, "If you're so great, why are you wasting your time on _things_ like _that_?!" She shifted her gaze to Kurosawa, who was looking at me with hope in her eyes. "Don't you know that she's below us?!"

"Kurosawa-san isn't the one putting down others to make herself look better."

The snob was steaming, obviously flustered, "If you're going to talk to _me_ like that, then you're gonna regret it!" she stormed out of the dining hall, taking her bad attitude with her. When her friend finally realized that she was gone, she drifted out of the dining hall after her.

Kurosawa looked at me and mouthed _Thank you._ I smiled at her and mouthed _No problem_.

Then, I turned to Chiyoko. "Shakespeare? Michelangelo? The _POPE?! Really?!_ "

She shrugged, but she was smiling. "That bitch thinks that money and a reputable family background are all that matters about a person, so hey, I went along with it. I mean, she was the one dumb enough to buy it. Those people don't even have descendants."

I sighed, but also chuckled. We grabbed dinner and sat with a bunch of other kids from the orchestra.

* * *

"At least you stuck up for the poor girl," Dia said as I recounted my dinner encounter to my charas. I was started unpacking my things. I dug my portable keyboard out of its case and put it on its stand against the wall.

"She only started to listen when she thought I was rich and from some snooty family," I said, "God, I _hate_ people like that! I hate people who think they're better than everyone else because of stupid shit and make everyone else feel bad about it."

I heard the door to my room open. I guess I was finally about to meet my roommate Yuu Moto, and learn why Ikuto had warned me about her.

"Oh, my God," a voice said, " _No!_ No, no, _NO!_ I _CAN'T_ be rooming with _YOU!_ "

When I turned around, I felt my stomach lurch. Ikuto's warning finally made sense.

The bitch from the dining hall was Yuu Moto.

The snob was my roommate.


	4. Chapter Three: Cadenza

**Chapter Three: Cadenza**

* * *

"No, no no, no no no no _no!_ " Yuu carried on for quite some time like that. "I do _not_ want to be here, I do _not_ want to room with you! No! No, this _isn't_ real!"

"Well, I'm not any more thrilled about it than you are," I told her.

" _Switch rooms!_ " She insisted, " _Go room with someone else!_ "

"Why can't _you_?" I wasn't going to let her boss me around.

"Um, I was here _first?_ I mean, _duh!_ Obviously! I shouldn't have to when I was already here!"

"Well, I'm not moving either. So if we're going to be stuck with each other, we're going to have to try to get along. Okay? I'm willing to try if you are. Maybe we just got off to a bad start. I'm sure that maybe we can be friends." Maybe.

" _UUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!_ " she groaned, "FINE! We can _try_ getting along. But there's going to be rules, okay? Rules!"

"Like?"

" _Don't touch my stuff!_ " she asserted, "Don't come to my side of the room, and don't wear my clothes! Your chest is too small, anyway!"

" _Hey!_ "

"And don't come to my performances! Acting is a big deal to me and I don't want to ruin it by seeing _you_ in the audience!"

"Fair enough." If she was in the theatre department, then I had suddenly lost any interest in going to any of the performances.

"And don't you _dare_ practice _that_ in here!" she pointed to my keyboard next to the wall.

 _"What!? Why not?"_

"Because I was here first and I said so!"

" _Where am I supposed to go to practice, then_?"

"Figure it out yourself!" She stomped into the closet to change into a silk, expensive looking night gown. "And hurry up and unpack the rest of your stuff. _I'm_ going to bed."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't bother to speed my pace with unpacking. If I was too slow for her, she'd have to deal.

* * *

It was a bleak day outside- the sky was grey and it looked like it would either rain or snow. Based on how cold it was, snow was my bet. I didn't really _want_ to sit outside in the courtyard for lunch, but Chiyoko had insisted.

"The real reason she didn't want to switch dorms is because no one in the school likes her," Chiyoko speculated after I told her about my new roommate. Two of her friends were with us.

"It sounds sad," one of them, Yuuki, added, "but it's because she's so mean to everyone!"

Setsuko, the other friend, added, "For real. I can't think of anyone who hasn't talked about her being mean to them."

I shrugged. "Maybe she'll wind up being nice."

All three of them scoffed. I didn't want to think that someone could be nothing but mean like they were saying, but I also didn't want to argue, so I kept quiet on the subject.

I spotted Ikuto and his friends walking out of the dining hall just then. Just like yesterday, he was smiling and having a good time with them. "Hey, what do you guys know about him?" I asked, pointing. I was looking for information on his life as it currently was to determine the best approach. Was he as happy with his friends as he seemed? Did he talk about me at all? Would it be a bad idea to try to pull him from Ifukube?

Yuuki acknowledged me. "Who? Tsukiyomi?"

I nodded. "What kind of person is he? Does he like it here?"

I saw Chiyoko raise an eyebrow, but Setsuko was the one who answered, "He's a friend of my brother's. I don't know too much about him. He doesn't really ever say much to anyone. He _really_ loves the violin, though, my brother says he's extremely passionate about it. He's in the right place, if music is his passion like that."

I felt my heart sink a little- would I be ruining his dream if I convinced him to leave? He never did come back to me, after all. Was I less important? Was his love for me secondary to his love of music? "…or does he really love anything else to begin with…?" I muttered.

Apparently, Setsuko heard me and thought I was asking her a real question. "I don't really know what you're asking," she said "what else would he love?"

"Um-"

"Oh! I get it!" Chiyoko sprung up, " _You think he's hot, don't you?!_ "

"I-"

"Oh, so _that's_ why you're asking us this?" Setsuko said, "That _does_ make sense... he is pretty cute, after all."

"Well, actually, I-"

"And _that's_ why you were acting so weird around him yesterday," Chiyoko recalled, "It's because you were nervous because you _like_ him!"

I didn't really know what to say. It wasn't like they were wrong, but they didn't know the whole story.

"Why don't you go talk to him? Ask him on a date or something?" Setsuko asked.

"Well…"

Yuuki chimed in, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. I think he already has a girlfriend."

" _Who?!_ " I asked, standing up in surprise. Ikuto was dating someone? Was that the reason he never came back to me?

Did I act too late?

She shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but he has this picture inside his violin case. I've seen it a few times at orchestra. She's really pretty. I assumed it was his girlfriend, but I've never actually heard him say that."

Was it me? Or someone else? "What does she look like?"

"I've never gotten a good enough look at the picture to really tell."

Not much help there.

"I don't think that's a reason not to try to get close to him," Chiyoko said, "It could be his sister or something, for all we know. I think you should still try to talk to him, Rosamaria, if you really want to."

I didn't say anything- I was too caught up in everything else. Did he still love me? Did he ever love me at all? I looked back to where he and his friends were standing before, but now nothing was there.

* * *

It was snowing just a little bit, but hardly any of the flakes stuck to the ground. What did stick turned into a think layer of frost over the campus. I struggled to carry the heavy keyboard as I wandered around frosty campus, but somehow I managed.

"Where are we going, Amu?" Su asked. I shrugged.

"Anywhere, really. I need to practice, but Yuu is in the room. All of the rooms in the school building and Murasaki building were either in use or locked." I sighed and looked around. I was in a clear patch, several dozen feet away from the main portion of the campus. If I went much further, I would be in the woods. "There has to be _some_ place I could go around here. Some sort of recreational outdoor place."

"Hey, I think I see something," Ran pointed just into the woodland, "Look, over there! I can't really tell what it is, but it looks like a structure."

I could see what Ran was talking about- it was a blurb in the trees, a shadow not shaped like the rest of them. It was definitely man made, and worth a look.

I could see the structure more clearly as we got closer- it was an Asian-styled gazebo, covered in vines and moss, overlooking a pond that had seen better days. It would have been a beautiful area once, but now it was forgotten.

As we approached, though, I heard a violin. I didn't bother to guess- knowing my string of either luck or misfortunate depending on your perspective, it had to be Ikuto. After telling my still undisguised charas to get inside my bag, I went closer and discovered that I wasn't wrong.

There stood Ikuto, playing his violin in this sad, lonesome place. I didn't recognize the song, but realized that it was written in a Major key. The vibrations from the strings of his instrument resonated both with the forgotten wonderland I had just discovered and within me. I drew closer and closer until I was just outside of the gazebo, and could see him.

He was beautiful- even more beautiful than he had been the day he had left me. I was awestricken by him- the curve of his arms, the wave of his hair in the breeze, the gentle movements of his fingers as he beckoned his violin to sound. He seemed to exist in an entirely separate place, in an entirely separate time than the rest of the world.

His music took me there with him.

Suddenly, and without hesitance, the scenery changed. The sun came out from behind the clouds and the snow ceased to exist in anything but memory, and it was warm- warm, but not hot. The gazebo was red; bright red- clean, alive, and new. The trees were red, too, and their leaves scattered through the air and brushed against my face. The pond was clear and bright, and everything was alive. And everything was happy.

I could see myself smile and leap onto the gazebo with Ikuto. I pulled out my piano, and began to play alongside him. He smiled at me as if he were expecting this to happen all along- as if he'd been waiting for it to happen all along. We played our duet- the duet I had always dreamed of, a song played by us, for us, and only us.

We stopped playing to dance together, and although we were no longer playing, the music still continued. We danced closely, happily, and we embraced. He told me that he loved me, and bent down to kiss me. I kissed him back. We were together at last, and everything was as it should have been. As it always should have been.

But then, there was a pause, and the music took a sad turn. I was no longer in Ikuto's arms, but outside the gazebo where I had been before. The sun disappeared, the air cooled, the snow and frost returned. The gazebo was again forgotten, the pond unbearably gritty, and the trees bare. None of what had just happened remained. It had been a dream- my imagination. My imagination, and nothing more.

I shifted my feet. The sound caught Ikuto's attention. He stopped playing and turned around. I don't know what it was I saw on his face- surprise, fear, anticipation, or despair. But something was most certainly there, and that something was accompanied by downturned lips and wet cheeks.

"A-" he began as he saw me, but shook his head. "Rosamaria. I didn't expect to see you here." He put his violin away, though I was certain that he wasn't finished playing. I tried to look inside to see if he had my picture inside, but my view was obscured by a post. "Nobody ever bothers to come here- it's completely forgotten."

"You…You play very beautifully," I said, walking inside the gazebo to join him. I had said as much to him before as Amu, I know, and I was certain that others had said it before as well. But, if he was indeed so passionate, no amount of compliments would ever be enough, and I knew that. "Really, you do. I've never heard anyone play that way but you."

He shrugged. "I don't play like that in front of people. Don't expect to hear it again."

"But why not? It's so beautiful."

"It's a gift- I'm writing it for someone."

"Wait, you _wrote_ that?" I asked. He was certainly talented enough, but I never knew that he wrote music. He nodded, but didn't say anything. "Who's it a gift for?" Was it me?

"Someone."

" _Well, THAT'S not very helpful!_ " I folded my arms across my chest. "If you don't want to tell me, you could at least _say_ so instead of being so vague!"

"I guess you're right," he said. I expected him to leave the gazebo after that, since I interrupted him and he no longer had a reason to be there because of it, but he leaned against the rail instead. "This place is old," he said, running his fingers over the railing, "It predates the school buildings by at least a decade. The administration has forgotten it by now."

I put my keyboard next to his violin and joined him against the railing. "I wonder why."

"You might have noticed that this school has a lot of Western influences. The buildings look European. But it didn't used to be like that. It looked very traditional and Japanese when it was first opened, which is when this pavilion right here was built. But the school went under new management a while back, and the old buildings were torn down in favour of new ones. This garden didn't match anymore, so they just threw it away."

"That's kind of sad, really," I said, "It seems like it would have been so beautiful."

"That's what happens when time passes by- the old things are cast aside to die, rot, and be forgotten- a relic of what was, of a distant time. It happens regardless of how beautiful the old things were, and it happens when everything changes. Even people."

He looked at me, and for a moment I thought he looked right past my disguise. It was like he could look straight into me and see everything. I looked away. "How do you know all of this?" I asked, "About the school changing administration and all that."

"My dad. He studied music here years ago, when it looked the way it did when it was built. When I enrolled and he saw it, he mentioned all of its history to me. He was really sad to know that the school he knew was replaced, but he got over it."

I smiled widely. So Ikuto had found his father after all.

"I'm sorry, I should shut up," he said, "this is all probably really boring."

"No, it isn't," I said. I looked back up at him, and he looked at me. "Really, I- I like talking to you." _Because I miss you- I've missed you so much for so long._

But I'd never get that back if I never acted on it.

"U-um…I-Ikuto? Can…Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do… Do you… Is… Is there someone that you…like? Like, like romantically I mean." I looked up at him, waiting to hear his response. He looked back at me, studying my face closely.

"Yes, there is," was all he said.

Neither of us could look away from the other. His stare drew me closer to him. I found myself lost in those beautiful, blue eyes- a gaze that both said so much, but was so difficult to understand. He had always been like that, and I had always found that interesting about him. Our hands touched. I jumped a little, but I was comforted by the feeling of his skin against mine. He wrapped his fingers around my palm, which only increased the magnetic pull between the two of us. We grew closer together until our bodies were entwined. I felt myself blush as he put his hand against my cheek and caressed it gently.

But then the caressing turned to wiping, and Ikuto's gaze broke.

"You've got dirt on your cheek," he said, continuing to wipe, "I can't get it off."

I jumped back from him, covering my face as I turned redder. " _That's what you were doing?!_ "

"What?"

" _I-I'm perfectly capable of cleaning my own face!_ " I said, " _You don't have to make it all weird!_ "

"Weird? Weird how?"

" _You could just tell me I have dirt on my face instead of caressing my check and embracing me and making everything feel all romantic and perfect and dream like and everything, you freak-weirdo-cat-thing!_ "

Ikuto paused and his posture changed. "'Cat thing'?"

My eyes widened.

Only I called him "cat thing."

And now Yoru was gone.

And Rosamaria wouldn't know that Ikuto had a cat chara.

She would have no reason to call him that.

"I, um. Um, um, um…" I scanned my mind for some sort of reasoning that Rosamaria would have for calling Ikuto that. Maybe he smelled like a cat? No, no that was stupid. He looked like a cat? Acted like a cat? Played music like a cat? None of that made any sense. "You're just… very um… Um. You're just… You're very meow."

"'Very meow?'"

Crap, what was I saying? What did that even mean, 'very meow'?! I had to think of something.

"U-uh huh! Y-yeah! That… that's…. Italian… Italian slang! Italian slang for someone that's really, really hot...!"

He smirked. "You think I'm hot?"

 _Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit! What the hell was I saying?!_

I felt my face turn redder and redder as the seconds tick by. "N-not hot in th-that way! _Not that you aren't hot in that way!_ I mean you're not my type but you're you're you're- _I mean, not that you_ aren't _my type… becauseyouare… BUT NOT LIKE… b-b-but…_ not… not like… I-it's cold out here! I-I should p-probably go inside-"

"It is pretty cold, now that you mention it. I should probably be going in, too. We can even walk in together."

My escape plan failed.

I was too embarrassed to say anything to him on our way back to the dorms, making the walk back a bit awkward. I wasn't sure how I felt anymore. I was happy to see Ikuto, and to speak with him, and to be close to him- but would he be happy to see me if he knew the truth? Would he be angry with me if he realized I was lying to him? Not to mention he seemed to be happy here… was I doing remotely the right thing?

When we got to the foyer of the dorm building, Ikuto turned to me. "Will you get lost on the way back to your room, or will you get lost again?" he smirked as he spoke.

"I think I can make it on my own this time."

His smirk fell apart- I wasn't sure if that meant that he had wanted to escort me to my room or not- but he nodded nevertheless. I turned away from him and began to walk in the direction of my room, but Ikuto put his hand on my shoulder. I stopped and turned back toward him.

"Your keyboard," he said, glancing at the heavy carrying case in my hand. "You didn't get a chance to practice earlier, did you?"

It hadn't really occurred to me, with everything between the two of us that happened. "No, I didn't. I guess I forgot."

"I've never gotten to hear you play," he told me, staring into me.

"I'm sure you'll hear me when we start practicing for the symphony."

He nodded, but didn't seem satisfied. "Actually, I was wondering if I could listen to you play sometime. Just you and me. I won't be able to hear you very well over the rest of the orchestra, and since you've heard me play, it only seems fair"."

As I looked into those beautiful, deep blue eyes that I knew so well, there was no way I could say no to him- not to someone so beautiful, so perfect; someone I loved and missed so much. There was no harm in playing for him, right? It was only music, after all- he wouldn't be able to tell my identity by just that. I agreed to play for him sometime, to which I saw him give a small smile. It was only a slight upturn at the corners of his lips, hardly noticeable- but beautiful. I was glad to see it, and glad to know that I had put it there.

I went back to my room to find, much to my excitement, that Yuu wasn't there. I listened to my charas cheer at the possibility of spending time with Ikuto, but all I could think about were his beautiful eyes and the masterpiece I hoped he wrote for me.


End file.
